It doesn't matter if you were diagnosed with Attention
Deficit Disorder (ADD) years ago or just recently. When
you've lived a life with adult ADD, you've no doubt
encountered many setbacks.
The "wiring" of adult ADD makes it difficult to become and
stay organized, concentrate when necessary, and manage time
and projects effectively, among other things. You've
probably tried to improve upon at least one of these areas
many times in your life with little or no success.
Standard advice and strategies for things like organization
and time management don't always work for adults with ADD.
"Help" that comes from someone or something (like a book)
that doesn't take your ADD into account can be worse than
no help at all because, if you are unable to make the
advice work for you, it feels like failure. It feels like
there is something wrong with you. It's yet another setback
after trying really hard to make the wrong advice work.
And even when you do find good help from an ADD coach,
therapist, or resource, change and improvement don't always
come as quickly as you'd like. It takes time to overcome
years of working against your ADD. Learning new patterns
and strategies is a process. Feeling like you're finally on
track doesn't mean that you won't experience setbacks. You
will. Everyone does. It doesn't mean that you've failed.
The real challenge is not learning the new, ADD-friendly
patterns and strategies, because that can be done. The real
challenge is moving beyond the inevitable setbacks.
Setbacks have a tendency to lower your self-esteem. And low
self-esteem can rob you of the motivation you need to make
improvements and stay on track.
The best way I know to overcome a setback--in any area--is
to build success in another area. Here are some examples:
If you experience a setback in your organizing goals, then
you might choose to work on maintaining an exercise routine.
If you experience a setback in time management, then you
might choose to work on strengthening a friendship.
If you experience a setback in getting 7 or 8 solid hours
of sleep each night, then you might choose to focus on
making healthy meal choices.
It really doesn't matter which area you choose to build
success in, as long as you choose something that you know
you can make progress in. Success in any area will pump up
your self-esteem. Then, when you feel good about your
success and accomplishments again, you'll have the
necessary energy and motivation to pick up where you left
off when you experienced that setback.
Setbacks don't have to lead to failure. Setbacks can be
temporary. You can overcome any ADD-related setback by
building your self-esteem.
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Jennifer Koretsky is the Founder of the ADD Management
Group, Inc. and the author of Odd One Out: The Maverick's
Guide to Adult ADD. Jennifer and her team work with ADD
adults who are overwhelmed with everyday life in order to
help them simplify, focus, and succeed. For free resources
and information on adult ADD, visit
http://www.ADDmanagement.com .
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